The Gods are Bastards By Anon Heart V0.4 The Age of Adventures has come to an end! Again. It ended about a hundred years ago, but apparently, it didn’t stick. The lawless type simply moved from plundering dungeons to enforcing the laws on the wild borders of the Empire, and changed from calling themselves “adventurers” to “cowboys.” Sure, Arachne sits in her college and pumps out a new batch of heroes and villains every year or so, and sure, Omnu and Avei have both just designated new Hands, an act not seen for hundreds of years, but in this age of connections, of Rails and Scrolltowers, of modern enchantment, of standing armies... is there any place for adventurers? Humanity stands strong now, after all. The Elves are no longer the mysterious moccasin clad one-with-nature types only found in ancient elven groves, or in the plains, doing their best to keep out any humans who pass by. Ever since the Cobalt Tribe was exterminated by the Tiraas Empire, they’ve quite changed their tune... not that we suggest trying to break into their ​ ​ homes. In fact, the Empire has quite a few treaties with them that mean you definitely shouldn’t. No longer is the world down under divided into simply “Dwarves who sell us metal” and “Drow who raid us for slaves”, but into “Dwarves, who are suffering an economic depression because we’ve stopped buying their metal” and “The Drow nation of Tiraas, which occasionally gives us metal in return for our help with their sciences so they can protect their borders from the vile followers of the Elder Goddess Scyllith who resides in the dark depths”. Why, even the squabbling Cults have united under the aegis of the Universal Church, sending their Bishops to the Archpope, in a blessed unity, taking their cues from how the Pantheon worked together to slay the mad Elder Gods. Truly, the Age of Adventurers has come to an end! Sure, Dragons are still to be feared, but now one is not forced to rely upon the strength of a Holy Paladin, but can depend on Imperial Armies to protect them. And certainly, the Black Wreath still haunts the world, attempting to destroy it in the name of their dark Goddess, but surely the new Paladins will quickly strike them down. Of course... such is what it seems on the surface. But since when have such appearances been true? The truth is this. This world, all of it, is a lie. The Elder Gods were not gods in truth, but mere men, scientists of a world long forgotten, who forged not only the very magic of this world with their maddening sciences, but even the elves, dragons, dwarves, and gnomes as they ascended themselves to godhood and hid the world away from the rest of their mighty civilization beyond that which is now called Chaos. The Pantheon that struck them down did not wish to be gods, not one among them. They simply wished to stop the Elder Gods, who’d long since gone mad and corrupt with the absolute power they wielded, and in attempting to shatter the process of ascension, found themselves raised to Godhood, bound by the new restrictions it had placed upon them. This is the world to which you’ve come. Good luck. Have 1000 CP to guide the transcension fields and forge your new body and your new past. Origins Adventurer (Drop In): ​ Like any other adventurer- sorry, cowboy, you seem to have simply rolled into town one day. ​ ​ You’re missing any sort of identification or local memories, which might make things a bit hard on you. On the bright side, like I said, this is actually a pretty common situation. The world is well used to random, previously nameless, individuals suddenly become massive threats out of ​ nowhere. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad one’s up to you. On the brighter side, it means that they’re quite used to people with stupid levels of magic just smashing through everyone and doing what they want, so feel free to do that. They’ll probably just mark you down as a natural disaster and try and get out of your way. Or try and kill you. Depends on how much damage you cause and why. Shaman: ​ You have always been connected to the natural world. Whether you were raised in it or moved from the cities to be closer to nature you have decided to follow the path of a Shaman. Whether it's the Empire encroaching upon the natural world to feed its insatiable appetite for conquest, the stuck up elder Shaman preventing any action and sticking to the ancient ways, or Dryads causing their own brands of trouble, you’ll have your work cut out for you. At least you’ve got Fey magic on your side. Warlock: ​ Let's be honest The Gods are Bastards, their chosen priests gain all of the support of the Empire and can openly flaunt their Divine Magic without fear. You on the other hand have chosen a different path. Whether it be through family inheritance, a desire for power, or even loyalty to the Black Wreath and Elilial, you now walk the path of a warlock, a wielder of Infernal magic. Some advice though; try to avoid being discovered. Paladins and priests are not fond of those who use the Infernal. Noble: ​ As a noble, you’re born to a more subtle power than most. Where others lash out with raw force, you wield the power of your connections and the sharpness of your thoughts. Some might think the best way to stop an opponent is to shoot them, but you know that bureaucracies can work wonders on your behalf. Priest of the Pantheon: ​ For some reason be it glory, religious fervor, or power you have devoted your life to one of the gods of this realm. You may choose to serve any of the canon gods.... well with one exception. As a servant of this god you are expected to follow its tenets faithfully. However as a servant of the gods you are not alone, you have many comrades backing you up. There is big change coming though. Archpope Justinian plans to set in motion events to destroy the gods and place humanity at the top of the world. Will you betray your god and join him or will you take a stand against his crusade? Priest of the Shadows: ​ Though part of the Pantheon, Esserios, Viridian, and similar gods are less... straightforward than their companions within it, and their servants have a more tricky style. You serve one of these trickster gods... though unfortunately, Ellial is out. If you want to serve her, go be a ​ ​ Warlock. Races You begin as the gender of which you entered the jump, and roll for age as shown below. You may pay 100 CP to select both. If you wish, you may start at 18 years old (or the racial equivalent of a young adult.) Human [0]: ​ You’re human. As the dominate species in this setting you are likely the least person to be discriminated against in the cities of the Empire. The other races however are resentful of your kinds rise to power, you likely are not going to find many allies in other races unless you work for it. You begin at 15+1d8 years old. Half-Elf [100]: ​ A half-blood, with an elven parent on one side, and a human on the other, it could be said that you’ve inherited the best of both worlds. You have increased stamina, speed, flexibility, and lifespan compared to humans, while still possessing an increased strength and rate of healing compared to elves. You begin at 15+1d8 years old. Elf [200]: ​ As an Elf, you’re functionally a magical construct, your body specifically adapted for the magics of the planet. You have an increased lifespan and dexterity at the cost of strength and healing rate. You’re also immortal, highly tilted toward fey magic, and have a digestive system that’s closer to a video game style one than a reasonable digestive system: You could eat a bison and not have to eat for a week or breath for a few hours, for example. Free Fey magic. You begin at 20+1d8 years old. Drow [200]: ​ See elves, but instead of an affinity for fey magic, you have an affinity for divine magic. Depending on if you’re from the allied nation of Tar’naris or one of the nations ruled by Scyllith, you will have either been raised in a matriarchal culture that practices ruthless efficiency and heavy emotional reserve, or from a pack of crazy demon summoners. Free Divine or Infernal magic, depending on which nation you came from. You begin at 20+1d8 years old. Dwarf [200]: ​ You’re a Dwarf. Short, stocky, and from a nation which is currently in the process of being thoroughly screwed over by the fact that the Empire has found new trading partners to get it’s metal from. You have Free Divine magic. You begin at 15+1d8 years old. Pixie [200]: ​ You’re a pixie. Although most of your kind is about as intelligent as a dog, you’re somehow... different. While your body, being a small glowing ball of light, gives you a major malus to your physical stats, your nature as a part of the aura of a demigoddess gives you an unending supply of Fey magic in your body.